Dala Horse Serenade Drawing Progression

Dala horses have a very traditional style as a rule, but that’s not to say painters of Dala horses don’t have fun trying new things now and then. There are some beautiful Dala horses painted in only shades of black, white, and gray, with elegant kurbits (rosemaling) designs on the body. So with a more Norwegian-themed drawing–Norwegian Fjord horses, Hardanger fiddle, mountains, and a glimmer of an actual fjord–a more Norwegian design on the horses seemed appropriate!

Backgrounds have long been a challenge for me (hence the white background of many of my early drawings), but when I had the idea for this one, I knew that background would be nearly as important as the subject matter. A friend who specializes in watercolors had recently been telling me about technique she’d learned for creating distance – the further it is, the more blue you add. With a series of mountains that for all practical purposes look to be aligned on the page, this piece of advice came in handy for creating distance down valley! The farther away in the picture, the cooler and paler the colors, while the closer, the warmer and richer.